Workout Outside, Even in Cooler Weather

With the drop of temperatures, we often start moving our workouts indoors to seek out warmer environments and light that doesn’t fade when the sun goes down. I can sympathize with this reaction because I’m a complete freeze baby and have little patience for being cold, but recently I started doing a bit of research on the benefits of taking those workouts outdoors. So before you retire your running shoes for that hot yoga room or put your road bike in the shed, you may want to check out some of the benefits of escaping the four walls and getting some fresh air.

Experience Mother Nature:

Did you know that research has shown that taking your exercise outdoors leads to improvements in mental well-being and self esteem and even to a decrease in depression? Getting outdoors helps our minds clear and our bodies decompress while we escape the chatter of the world around us.

Take time to smell the roses:

Although we laugh at this saying, it actually contains a lot of truth. Did you know that being exposed to fresh plant life decreases stress and lowers our resting heart rate and blood pressure? Being around plants also helps to improve our concentration and our overall performance in our homes and workplaces. The calming influence causes our bodies to perform with better accuracy, yielding higher qualities of work. Taking time during your day to go for a quick jog, hike, or walk in nature can improve your memory and attention span by 20%. If you’ve been considering that lunch-time running group, this may be your sign!

Get out of the rut:

If you’re having trouble sticking to your workout routines, adding even just one outdoor workout a week can improve your consistency. Due to the positive endorphins and health benefits that outdoor workouts offer, people tend to stick with those workouts and look forward to their sweat sessions more. Adding an outdoor workout also helps the body break out of the physical ruts that you can get into when you always attend the same spin, bootcamp, or yoga class. Our bodies adapt to class patterns over time, but the consistent fluctuation of road grades, weather, and outdoor bootcamps cause our bodies to work harder, burn more calories, and see more positive results.

Hopefully you feel inspired and excited to start adding more outdoor workouts to your schedule. Not sure where to start? I’ve included a great bodyweight workout to get you started. Enjoy that fresh air!